Unfortunately, some elected officials are more concerned about appearance than results. We see it in Wake County, where school board members refuse to evalute their controversial and divisive reassignment policy.
This same appearance-over-substance scenario is playing out in Durham as the city council discusses the ridiculous idea of regulating the sale of bullets. That’s right – regulating the sale of bullets. I have no doubt that the sponsor, Rev. Melvin Whitley, has his heart in the right place as he pushes this idea. But even the councilwoman who supports adding the regulation to the city’s 2009 legislative wish list, admits it’s just for show. Still, Cora Cole-McFadden is giving it a thumbs-up.
From the Herald-Sun (emphasis is mine):
At least one councilman, Eugene Brown, is dubious about lining up behind Whitley’s proposal.
On Thursday he noted that despite two or three years of lobbying Whitley has been unable to convince even one state legislator to sponsor the bill.
Brown also said gun-control advocacy groups on both the state and national levels are pushing agendas that don’t include anything like Whitley’s bill, which the minister based on an Illinois law.
But mainly, Brown worried that the proposal would become a distraction.
“I don’t want to engage in the politics of gesture,” he said, adding that council members this year “need to focus like a laser beam” on economic and budget issues.
Other members disagreed.
“I understand that if [criminals] want bullets, they will get them,” Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden said. “However, I will feel comfortable if we have done what we can do.”
Well, now we know what the game is.
